NEW YORK  - Some financial fraud cases take months to come to a conclusion, most take several years.  If you choose to evade your tax obligations or launder money, be prepared to endure a physically, emotionally, and economically draining legal process which could last many years. 

During the course of a multiagency investigation into a large sophisticated gasoline bootlegging scheme designed to evade federal excise taxes in the early 1990's, Joseph Reisch fled the United States to Isreal and eventually to Germany before getting caught by authorities.  Reisch and other participants pocketed 14.1 cents in federal excise taxes included in the retail price of each gallon of gasoline sold.  A 1.5 cents a gallon tribute was paid to the five crime families of La Cosa Nostra in New York.  Over a three year period, Reisch and others evaded more than $34 million in excise taxes.  These taxes are earmarked to pay for construction projects on our roads, bridges and tunnels. 

In November 1992, Reisch, a naturalized citizen of the US, born in Romania, fled to Isreal and then was indicted in May 1993 on a conspiracy to defraud the US and 11 counts of tax evasion.  An arrest warrant was issued after indictment and he has been a fugitive from justice since the time of the return of the indictment.  In June 2008, Germany authorities detained Reisch.  One year later, after legal challenges, Reisch arrived in the US.  In the beginning of June, Reisch was presented before Magistrate Judge Kathleen Tomlinson in Central Islip to face the 16 year old charges.  She remanded him.  He is scheduled for a hearing before Judge Leonard Wexler in July.  Reisch faces up to five years imprisonment per count. 

Two other long-term financial fraud cases on Long Island recently came to a conclusion.  In separate cases, William Lynas faced conspiracy charges to distribute marijuana and money laundering charges.  Lynas, of Manhattan, pled guilty in 1997 and twelve years later, in January 2009, he was sentenced to three years supervised release, after having spent time in prison.  In 1999, Winkel, who also faced conspiracy charges to distribute marijuana, pled guilty to false declarations on his tax return.  He was also sentenced to five years supervised release after having spent time in prison during his eleven year investigation.  By the time their supervised release periods expire, Lynas will have been tied to his investigation for more than 15 years and Winkel for more than 16 years.